IF this year’s export rates continue through the end of the year, orange juice exports could double in quantity and dollar value compared to last year, the Ministry of Agriculture recently announced.During the first five months of the year, the country’s orange juice exports reached nearly $26 million, as compared to only $41 million for all of 2005. Holland was the principal buyer of Costa Rica’s orange juice, followed closely by the United States.Costa Rica is currently the third largest orange juice provider to the United States, with 6% of the market, trailing Brazil (60%) and Mexico (17%). This means Costa Rica has lost ground from last year, when it was the second largest exporter to the United States.However, this could change by the end of the year if the current price per kilogram for the two principal products exported by Costa Rica – fresh juice in concentrate and frozen juice in concentrate – is maintained, Sergio Hernández, manager of the Ministry’s National Citrus Program, said in a statement.Approximately 4,000 jobs are directly tied to the orange juice and concentrate industry here, with 5,000 indirect jobs.
